Tales of the Centennial Chihuahua
by foobar137
Summary: Isabella in the Phineas and Ferb Star Wars special is a very different character from the one we've gotten to know. How did a young girl become a famous smuggler and fierce rival of Han Solo? Let's take a trip into her backstory. (Note: not marked Crossover because it's specifically within the P&F timeline, not general Star Wars.) NOTE: Rating bumped to T from chapter 4 on.
1. 5 BBY - The Streets of Ansion

**The idea of just how Isabella got to the point she's at in P&F Star Wars took over my brain. So, this is going to be some backstory for her. I've tried to match up to the known Star Wars timetable as much as possible.**

**While the first few chunks are all chronological, I intend to jump around in the timeline a bit eventually. Think of this as a collection of stories, not a single cohesive story itself.**

**P&F Star Wars, like the original movie, is set in the year 0 BBY (0 years Before the Battle of Yavin), except the ending which is in 0 ABY (After the Battle of Yavin). (The fight against the Death Star? That's the Battle of Yavin. Because, yeah, let's base our dating system on a battle station blowing up.)**

**The characters 'feel' a bit older in P&F Star Wars, so I'm assuming that the boys and Isabella are about 13.**

**This initial part is set in 5 BBY, when Isabella is 8.**

* * *

The eight-year-old girl ducked in to Docking Bay 74, her Chihuahua Pinky at her heels. She stopped just inside to catch her breath and look around for a hiding place. There were some crates nearby, presumably being loaded on to the SCT-1500 transport that sat in the center of the docking bay. Quickly, she limped over and hid behind them.

A moment passed, and she looked at Pinky. The dog looked back at her and cocked his head.

"Maybe we lost them?" she asked quietly. The dog shivered and panted in reply.

She looked down at her leg through the tear in her trousers. "Darn it," she said. "It's bleeding." She'd tripped over a garbage pile while running through the back alleys of Cuipernam, trying to get away with her latest score. Unfortunately, she'd lost it - enough food to last her and the dog a couple days - when she'd tripped.

It had been a pretty bad day so far. She'd woken up hungry, almost got caught swiping a meal, got chased by Stormtroopers, and lost the meal while running away. How much worse could it get?

"It's a pretty nasty cut," she said to Pinky. "If only I had a tube of dermaseal."

Pinky yipped enthusiastically, then slunk out of the docking bay. Isabella tried to tell him to wait, but it was too late. She sat and waited, holding the tattered remnants of her trouser leg over the cut.

Outside the docking bay, she heard a Stormtrooper voice say, "There's the dog!" Several blaster shots echoed out, and then another Stormtrooper said, "Nice shooting, TK-421."

_Pinky!_ Isabella wanted to shout. The little dog was all she had left after her mother's death a year ago. They'd spent the year on the streets of Cuipernam, living on their wits and what they could beg or steal. And now she was alone.

"The dog came from in here," a Stormtrooper said. She heard the door to the docking bay open, and the tromp of Stormtrooper boots in the dirt. She peeked out between two crates, seeing two Stormtroopers, weapons ready, looking around the docking bay.

_This is it,_ Isabella thought, her eyes watering. _Cornered. No way out._

With a hydraulic hiss, the boarding ramp on the spaceship lowered, and Isabella saw a blue female Chiss walk down. "Troopers," the Chiss said. "Can I assist you?"

"Have you seen a young girl with short black hair? She's wanted for 19 counts of theft," the lead trooper said.

"Nope. She's not in here," the Chiss said. Isabella could swear the woman's eyes flicked over to her hiding spot, but the troopers didn't seem to notice.

"You're sure?" the trooper asked dubiously.

"Quite sure. A little dog ran in here, sniffed around, and ran back out, but that's all that's come in here in the past hour. Other than you two."

The trooper grunted metallically, then turned to his partner. "Okay, let's move out." The two of them walked back out of the docking bay.

"Okay, you can come out now," the woman said. "They're gone."

Isabella peeked out from behind the crates, eyeing the Chiss warily.

"Listen, I'll make a deal with you," the Chiss said. "Help me load up these last few crates, and I'll take you along to my next stop. Get you off Ansion. Deal?"

Isabella wiped her eyes and limped away from the crates. "Deal," she said.

"What happened to your leg?"

"Cut. Tripped running through an alley."

"Come on up to the ship, let's get some dermaseal on that."

Isabella followed the Chiss into the spaceship. It felt huge inside, a large cavern half-filled with packing crates. "What's your name?" the Chiss asked.

"Isabella."

"I'm Mada. Let's take a look at that leg." She wiped the grime off with a wet cloth, then applied an even coat of dermaseal along the cut. "Good as new."

"Thanks," Isabella said in a low voice. She paused a moment, then asked, "Why are you doing this?"

Mada smiled. "Because when I was about your age, I snuck into a docking bay in Csaplar to hide from the police who were after me. Old Drido let me go with him, and...I never looked back."

"Oh."

"Come on, let's get those crates on the Sunchaser and get off this rock."

"Sunchaser? Is that the ship's name?"

"Yep. Drido left her to me when he retired. Of course, she was called the Eternal Peregrine then. He always was a bit pretentious."

* * *

Isabella was bored.

They were on their second day in hyperspace, carrying droid parts from Ansion to Rustibar. And however fond of her Mada had seemed at first, she was suddenly less thrilled to have a passenger intruding on her personal space. She'd answered Isabella's first few questions enthusiastically, but Isabella could see her interest dropping with each question.

Isabella sat in the main compartment, poking at the crates. She let out a deep sigh.

"All right, fine. Come here," Mada said, gesturing toward the cockpit. Isabella followed her in.

"What'cha doing?" Isabella asked.

"Setting up a pilot sim for you. Here, take a seat." Mada gestured toward the pilot's seat.

"Really? Me?"

"Sure, why not. It's in simulator mode now, so you won't affect the actual ship. It'll give you some training on basic piloting, then throw a few tricks at you."

Isabella sat in the pilot's chair eagerly, buckling herself in and sliding the seat forward.

"Training session 1," the computer said.

It took her a few minutes to get the hang of it, but shortly she was virtually piloting the ship around an obstacle course.

"You're a natural, kid," Mada said. "It's...kinda scary, actually. I haven't seen anyone take to piloting that quickly since that Skywalker kid who won the pod race a few years back."

"Oh? What happened to him?" Isabella asked as the weapons tutorial popped up on her screen.

"He joined the Jedi, last I heard. Probably got killed when they all went rogue and the clone troopers put them down. Any history of Force sensitivity in your family?"

"Nope," Isabella said as she blasted a drone. "But supposedly my father was a pilot. He joined up with the Rebellion a few years ago, and we haven't heard from him since." A quick jerk of the control sticks, and her simulated ship spun on its axis. A blast from a drone skimmed past, through the space where the ship had been, and then an answering shot from the ship's lasers eliminated the threat.

Mada whistled. "Okay, that's pretty impressive."

Isabella smiled back at her. "Really?"

"Really. I'm not just blowing snowflakes at you. I know the deal was until the next planet, but if you want to stay on-board and help out, I'll teach you how to run a ship. I think you could be really good at this."

"And then when you retire, I get the ship?"

"Ha! I'm not planning to retire for a good long time, youngster."


	2. 4 BBY - Parenting

**4 BBY; Isabella is 9**

* * *

Isabella reluctantly switched the sim off and moved back a seat. Mada took over the pilot seat and readied the ship for exit from hyperspace. Isabella surreptitiously took the opportunity to make sure her pockets were full. It wasn't that she didn't trust Mada, but...she had the feeling that one of these days, Mada was going to send her off on an errand and use the opportunity to take off and leave her. She needed to be prepared in case that happened.

It seemed especially likely on this trip. Gelgelar was well off of their usual routes, a dismal swamp planet where people who had nowhere to go stayed. They didn't have any decent cargo for the place, and there was nothing to pick up here except shvash gas and vohis mold. Isabella couldn't shake the feeling that this was where Mada would abandon her. There was no other reason why she'd come to this place.

They landed, the gear splashing into the puddles that covered the platform on Docking Bay 7. Isabella looked out the window at the rain and clouds. "Yay?" she said.

Mada laughed. "Sorry. I need to go meet someone. I'll give you a list of provisions to pick up, and we'll be ready to take off this evening. No reason to hang around this pile of muck. Deal?"

Isabella nodded. "Deal."

Mada pulled a water-repellant poncho on over her shipboard jumpsuit as Isabella did the same. Isabella started toward the local markets, but looked over at Mada heading into town from the docks. Looking around, Isabella followed as surreptitiously as she could.

A small house stood alone to one side of the muddy street, surrounded by dripping green trees. Mada walked up to it and knocked on the door as Isabella slipped closer through the trees.

She heard a voice speaking a language she didn't understand, then the door irised open. A Rodian stood there, antennas sagging with age. The Rodian threw his arms wide open and said, in a thick accent, "Mada!"

"Drido, you old pirate," Mada said, hugging him. "How're you doing?"

"Good, good. Come on in out of the wet." He beckoned her inside, then closed the door. Isabella slipped up to the window, hoping to hear the conversation.

"...I mean, I couldn't just _leave_ her there," Mada said. "The Stormtroopers had just killed her dog, they'd have killed her too."

"Of course not. No more than I could have left you. Bet you never thought you'd become a mother."

"Not at all. Especially not to a human. I never was the maternal type. That's why I came to talk to you. She's driving me up the bulkhead."

Isabella heard an odd buzzing sound that she realized must be the Rodian laughing.

"I'm serious. She's _always_ there, sticking her nose in everything, asking me about everything. You ever tried to haggle with somebody asking why you offered that amount?"

"Yep. You did that."

"Even when she isn't asking me questions, she's always _watching_ me. And then she leaves the ship, and she has to carry, like, half the contents of her locker in her pockets. I guess they're good luck charms or something. I swear, there are days when I just want to toss her out the airlock. I'm sure you felt the same way towards me?"

"I never thought about spacing you," Drido said. "Taking off without you...occasionally."

"Why didn't you?" Mada asked.

"You were more useful than you were trouble. Why are you keeping this girl around?"

"She's a better pilot than I am, Drido. Not by a little bit, either."

"So you're letting her fly?"

"Not yet. She's barely nine!"

"Okay, is that young for a human?"

"Yes. She's still a few years from adolescence."

"Okay. So you're keeping her around because she's a pilot, but you aren't letting her fly?"

A long silence followed, until Mada said, softly, "She's the only family I've got, except for you."

"I assume you want my advice, because there's no reason you would have come here otherwise. Too damp for you furry things."

"What do I do with her?"

"If she's as good as you say, let her pilot. She'll figure out that you need her soon enough. And so will you. And when she figures out you aren't going to leave her behind, maybe she won't feel the need to carry everything with her."

"Is that...of course it is." Mada sighed deeply. "I'll think about it."

"While you think about it, maybe I'll stop by the ship. See the old Peregrine again, and meet my foster granddaughter."

Isabella decided this was a good time to head out. She rushed back to the markets, bought the supplies Mada had asked for, and hurried back to the ship to dry off. She'd just gotten things put away when the ramp lowered.

"_Sunchaser_? Really?" Drido was saying as he walked up the ramp.

"Well, _Eternal Peregrine_ was too pretentious. Might as well slap on a transponder that says, 'Pirate bait'," Mada said.

Drido sighed. "It's all the _Millennium Falcon_'s fault. They ripped off my ship's name, and now everybody's using that style."

"Hey, Mada. Who's your friend?" Isabella asked as they entered the main cargo bay.

"Isabella, this is Drido, who owned this ship before me. Drido, this is Isabella," Mada said.

"Hmph," the Rodian said, looking her over. "Little bitty thing, isn't she?"

"I'm still growing," Isabella said. "And it means I can slip in to work on the conduits more easily."

Drido knelt down in front of her, bringing his bulbous eyes to her eye level. "It's nice to meet you, Isabella. Mada's been telling me good things about you."

* * *

They were outbound from Gelgelar with a load of vohis mold. Isabella was practicing on the sim when the warning light came on, indicating they would be coming out of hyperspace soon.

Mada came in to the cockpit and buckled herself in to the seat to Isabella's left. "You want to take her out of hyperspace?" she asked.

Isabella grinned widely and nodded her head.

"Okay. Ship is yours. Ding her up, and I'm taking it out of your pay."

"I don't get any pay," Isabella said.

"You do, I've just been holding it for you. Currently about 2,000 credits."

Isabella turned and looked at her. "Really?"

"Yep. We'll see about putting it where you can get it when we get to Kidron."

The light flashed to indicate transition time, and Isabella pushed the hyperspace lever forward. The stars stopped moving around the ship, and the beacon for Kidron control lit up their communications.

"Nicely done," Mada said. "So, how long were you outside Drido's window?"

"What?" Isabella said, twitching but not taking her eyes off the space around them.

"He spotted your footprints. What did you hear?"

"Were you seriously considering spacing me?"

"No, not really. And leaving you behind really never occurred to me."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise. Does this mean you'll be willing to leave the ship without your pockets bulging like a bantha's saddlebags?"

Isabella took a deep breath and nodded her head.


	3. 2 BBY - The Centennial Chihuahua

**2 BBY; Isabella is 11.**

* * *

Isabella watched as Mada dickered with the trader. They'd stopped on Rugosa to pick up a load of coral jewelry. Mada had told her how much she expected to pay for this box, which seemed a fair price.

Suddenly, the Toydarian trader's eyes narrowed and he agreed to Mada's price, several thousand credits below what she'd expected to pay. Mada smiled and shook hands with him as Isabella looked around cautiously.

Inspecting a mirror, Isabella looked behind herself and saw a cloaked man lurking in the stall across from them. She slipped over to Mada, as if inspecting the box of jewelry that had just been purchased. "It's a trap," she whispered. Mada nodded slightly.

"Here, you carry this," Mada said, handing the box to Isabella. It was heavy, and she walked slowly after Mada as she carried it through the bazaar. Mada casually made sure her blaster was loose in her holster as they walked.

"Psst, Mada," a quiet voice said, and Mada slipped into the curtained stall the voice had come from. Isabella followed closely, wrinkling her nose at the musty smell inside. A short, furry blue humanoid - a Squib, Isabella remembered - quickly closed the curtain behind them. Mada smiled at him. "Avvik, you old fraud. What's up?"

"Need to warn you," the Squib said quickly. "The Imperials have matched the _Sunchaser_ with the incident on Sullust."

"Blast it," Mada muttered. "Anything you can do?"

"No, it's too deep. You need new papers. Talk to Doc."

"What incident on Sullust?" Isabella asked.

"Before your time, kid. I did a favor for some folks in the Rebellion. I'm sure the mess on Galidraan didn't help, either," Mada said. "Okay. Thanks, Avvik. I owe you one."

Avvik nodded. "Of course you do. Say hello to Doc and Jessa for me."

"Best way back to my ship from here?" Mada asked.

"The way you came, unfortunately," the Squib said.

"I was afraid you'd say that. Okay, Isabella, let's get out of here."

They slipped back into the bazaar. They'd almost made it back to the ship when two Stormtroopers turned the corner right into them. "Halt!" one said, raising his blaster rifle.

Mada downed him with one shot. His partner fired, the shot going wide, then Mada's second shot flattened him. "Run!" she shouted, rushing into the docking bay. The ramp lowered at their approach. Isabella rushed up the ramp and dropped the box, breathing heavily, as Mada ran over to disconnect them from the port's umbilicals.

When she'd caught her breath, Isabella rushed to the cockpit and started pre-flight checks. As Mada started back up the ramp, four Stormtroopers entered and opened fire.

"Get us out of here!" Mada yelled as the ramp hissed shut.

"Grab on to something, we're launching!" Isabella yelled, activating the repulsorlifts to lift the ship out of the docking bay. Blaster bolts bounced off the ship's armor as she shoved the throttle forward, and the ship shot forward, climbing up and out of the atmosphere.

Mada lurched into the cockpit behind her, buckling in. She pulled the navicomputer up and said, "Setting a course for the Reltooine system."

Isabella asked, "Corporate Sector? Really?" as she vectored away from the TIE fighters heading for them.

"That's where Doc is. Star Destroyer to starboard."

"I see it. The TIEs are herding us toward it. Hurry up on the navicomputer."

"It's working. Going to take a minute."

Isabella pulled down her goggles, her eyes scanning her panel and the space around the ship. "Okay. We need to go through the TIEs, then. Powering guns." She flipped a switch, then jerked the controls to one side, pulling the ship aside just before a bolt from a TIE went through the space they'd been in.

"I've got 'em," Mada said, bringing the gunnery controls up on her panel. "Can you hold steady for about three seconds to let me clear the way?"

"Last time I let us get hit you told me you were taking it out of my pay," Isabella said through gritted teeth as she twisted the ship through a series of gyrations. "Three seconds steady in three...two...one...mark."

Twin beams shot out from the _Sunchaser_, striking a TIE fighter squarely. Barely a second later, two more beams destroyed a second TIE. The Sunchaser shook as another pair of TIEs landed shots on her shields. The panel by the third cockpit seat sparked.

"There," Mada said. "A hole for you."

"Thank you," Isabella said, jinking around again to dodge more shots. "How long until hyperspace?"

"Almost there. Hyperspace on my mark. Three...two...one...mark."

Isabella pulled back on the hyperspace lever, and the ship shot forward faster than lightspeed, leaving the TIE fighters behind.

* * *

They'd spent a couple weeks dodging the Espos, the Corporate Sector's Security Police, by the time they finally tracked down Doc, a well-known provider of ship upgrades and documentation.

Doc's daughter, Jessa, was huddled with Mada, trying to work up the new papers the ship would need.

"The problem," Jessa said, "is that their new security interlock systems keep us from having a ship owned by an identity that's been in their system less than a year. I think that's how they caught you last time, actually. You cycled IDs after Galidraan."

"Blast," Mada said. "I can't exactly hang out with you for a year until a new ID is ripe."

Jessa nodded back toward Isabella, sitting with her feet up on the desk. "How about her? How solid is her ID?"

"Rock solid," Isabella said. "We haven't had to burn my real one yet."

"So put it in her name," Jessa said.

Mada looked at Isabella and nodded. "Makes sense. We put it in your name, but it's still _my_ ship. Deal?"

"One condition," Isabella said.

"Oh?"

"I get to name her."

Mada pursed her lips, then nodded. "Deal."

Isabella thought for a moment. "_Centennial Chihuahua_. For Pinky."

Mada made a sour face. "You've been hanging around Drido too long."

Jessa looked at Isabella, then shook her head. "You sure she isn't Solo's kid?" she asked Mada.

"Very," Isabella said. "He was on Corellia, my parents were on Ansion."

"Just checking. The resemblance is frightening."

Isabella glared at Jessa. "Everybody seems to say that. I don't see it."


	4. 1 BBY - Just Business

**1 BBY; Isabella is 12.**

**Note: I've increased the rating to T now, as I felt it necessary for where this is going.**

* * *

Isabella pounded on the door to Drido's house, rain running off her poncho. A familiar voice said, "Hold your banthas, I'm coming," in Rodian.

The door irised open, and Drido said, "Isabella! Come in! Where's Mada?"

"Mada's dead," Isabella said as she entered. The house was full of the musky scent typical of Rodians, and Isabella would swear that was why her eyes were watering. "I wanted to come tell you in person."

"What happened?" Drido asked, kneeling down and taking her hands.

* * *

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Isabella said as she carried the silvery case along, hurrying to keep up with Mada's long strides.

"It's just a deal. We bring this case to Erek Validar. He hands us money. We don't ask about what's in the case, and we certainly don't try to open it," Mada said.

"Yeah, but what's so valuable that they'll pay us this much money for it?"

"You're saying it's too good to be true?"

"That's my worry," Isabella agreed.

"I'm always careful," Mada said, loosening her blaster in its holster. Isabella shifted the case to her left hand so she could do the same. Her blaster was just a couple months old, a birthday present from Drido.

They reached Validar's compound just after nightfall. A high fence surrounded the compound, with guards at the gate. They checked Mada's name against a list before admitting the two of them in, escorting them across a large, lush garden full of bright flowers with almost-intoxicating scents. Harsh lights made sharp shadows as they lit the area inside the walls. The doors to the large central building opened in front of them, and they were led into a large hall. A tall, dark-haired man sat at the head of the table. He looked up and gave them a predatory smile as they approached.

"We were told to deliver this to Erek Validar," Mada said.

"Indeed, I am he," the man said. He snapped his fingers, and a suited man standing near him set a small valise on the table next to him. He popped the valise open, revealing several Imperial credit coins. Mada looked in, mentally counting, and nodded her head. Isabella lifted the silvery case onto the table next to it, then closed the valise and picked it up.

"Pleasure doing business with you," the man said with a smile as their guards escorted them back out into the garden.

As they approached the gate, Isabella knew something was wrong. _It should be opening by now._

A blaster bolt sang out, striking Mada in the back; a second shot hit the back of her head before she could fall down. Isabella was already diving to the side as a third bolt passed just behind her back. She ran, trying to lose herself in the garden. "Sorry, just business," Validar's voice said over the intercom.

"Where'd the kid go?" one of the guards said as Isabella slipped as quietly as she could through the shadows of the tall flowers.

"Over that way," a guard said. A blaster bolt hit the ground about 30 meters away from Isabella, and she froze for a moment.

"Stop shooting, you idiot. You hurt the boss's garden and he'll use you for fertilizer," another guard said. "She can't get far. You and you, go search. The boss wants his money back. You and you, watch the gate. Nobody goes in or out."

Isabella looked around. The door into the main hall was still open slightly. _They'd never think to look for me in there_, she thought. She slithered through the shadows to the door, quickly looking inside. The hall was almost empty, and the silver case sat on the table, a large Weequay guard standing next to it impassively.

She looked behind her. Glowrod beams flashed across the garden, heading toward her. She slid her blaster out and drilled the guard in the chest, knocking him back, before rushing through the door, closing it behind her. She ran over and grabbed the case, putting it in the same hand as the valise as she wondered what inside it could be worth Mada's life. A quick glance around showed several exits from the room; she picked one at random and ran down it.

Behind her, she heard shouting. "She's in the main house! Spread out and search! Two by two, nobody goes alone!" Validar ordered.

She ran down the hall as quietly as she could, blaster in one hand as the other held the handles of the silver case and the money-filled valise. She heard noises ahead, a guard saying, "Let's try down here." A door next to her was marked 'Mechanical'; she ducked inside, closing the door behind her quietly.

The small room was filled with a furnace, with ducts leading everywhere. With a grin, she opened an access hatch in one of the ducts, sliding the valise and case in and climbing in after them. She closed the hatch behind herself silently, listening carefully.

The door to the room opened. She heard one of the guards say, "Come here, little girl...it's okay, we won't hurt you..."

The other guard muttered, "Much."

The first guard laughed. "Yeah, much. She's not in here, let's keep looking. Boss says there's a reward for whoever brings him the money." The door closed again.

Isabella waited, silently, making sure the room was empty before trying to move. The ducts were large enough for her but far too small for the adults, so she hoped they wouldn't think to look here. As she waited, she opened the valise. It had twenty 1000-credit coins in it - twenty thousand credits in all. A quick check showed that they looked genuine, which would explain why he wanted them back so urgently. She popped them out of the case and put them in a pocket, wrapping them tightly in a cloth so they wouldn't jingle.

She turned her attention to the silver case. It was electronically locked, and she didn't have the tools to coerce it to open with her. She thought for a moment, and, confirming the room was quiet, set her blaster to a low level designed for cutting. Carefully and quietly, she carved the lock out of the case, opening it up.

Inside were several data tapes and a reader. Looking at the tapes, she saw that they were details on Validar's business dealings with the Empire, and with the Rebellion. A bit of comparison showed that he was skimming from both sides, betraying members of each side to the other if they seemed to be catching on to his double-dealing.

An evil smile came across Isabella's face, and she put the data tapes in another pocket, sliding along the vent as quietly as possible.

* * *

"That little...so he tried to kill both of you to make sure nobody got copies of that?" Drido said.

Isabella nodded.

"Need help taking him down?"

"Oh, that's not necessary," Isabella said with a satisfied grin.

* * *

The vent looked out over an unoccupied guest bedroom. Isabella watched as two guards came in, checked the closet and under the bed, and then left. One of them said, "I bet she's out of the building by this point," as they left.

Isabella opened the vent quietly and slipped out into the bedroom. On the desk sat a small computer, which she powered up. She pulled out the data tapes, dumping the data about his dealings with the Empire, which she then sent off to the commander of the local Imperial garrison. She shut down the computer and climbed back into the vent, closing it behind her.

She explored the limits of the ventilation system. It seemed to go all through the building. She found herself looking into the complex's control room. Three large screens showed views of outside the compound; she could see the points of light that were the glowrod-equipped guards searching for her. Several techs sat at computer consoles, coordinating the search. Validar sat in a chair, in a rage.

"Courier's ship is inbound, sir," a tech said. The center screen flipped to a view of a docking bay. A YT-2000 freighter sat in the background. In the foreground, the _Chihuahua_ was landing.

"Any interesting cargo?" Validar asked.

The tech talked into a microphone, then listened at his earpiece. "No, sir. Nothing in the cargo hold."

Another tech suddenly sat up. "Sir, incoming message from Agent C-14. Apparently Major Sandravo is sending a company of Stormtroopers to lock down the compound."

Validar, stunned, stared at the tech, who listened to her earpiece carefully. She said, "YT-2000-class freighter _Star Talon_ is under an interdict order. All personnel at compound to be arrested for interrogation."

Validar looked around in a panic, then looked up at the screen again. A smile came over his face. "Prep the courier's ship for takeoff. Move crates L-11, B-17, and N-33 into the cargo hold." He looked down at the data pad on his chair. "_Centennial Chihuahua_? She must have let the little girl name it or something." He shook his head. "Tell the docking bay that I'm on my way. Then activate evacuation plan D."

Isabella turned and hurried down the vent. She'd seen the docking bay briefly, but discarded it as useless. Now that the _Chihuahua_ was there, she could gain access. Hopefully, they'd just sliced the computer to get access, instead of wiping it entirely.

The vent came out in a corner of the docking bay, behind some crates. She slipped down, leaving the grating open in case she needed a rapid retreat. Peeking around the corner of the crates, she looked out at the docking bay.

The _Chihuahua_ was getting refueled in the center. A load lifter was carrying a crate labelled 'N-33' toward it. Two technicians ran down the ramp, dodging around another carrying a suitcase up it.

The load lifter had deposited its load, and was walking toward her. Her eyes narrowed as she pondered the possibilities. Load lifters were notoriously stupid droids, so if it got close enough...

It walked into her hidden corner, not noticing her as it picked up a crate. Isabella jumped on another crate nearby, using it for a height boost to get on top of the crate the load lifter was carrying. She pressed herself down flat on top of it, hoping that the droid would carry her above the eye level of the guards.

Unnoticed by anyone else in the docking bay, the load lifter carried her straight into the _Chihuahua_'s cargo bay. It set the crate down next to two others, then left the cargo bay as the cargo access ramp closed behind it. Isabella jumped off the crate and ran to the nearest computer access panel. Her access code still worked, and reported there was no one on the ship other than her. She ordered it to close the ramp and lock out all external access.

She ran toward the cockpit and buckled herself into the seat. A group of men, including Validar, were arguing in front of the ship, gesturing toward the closed ramp. She turned on the ship's PA as she activated the surface-defense blaster. He turned and stared at her, open-mouthed. "Sorry, Validar. Just business," she said as the blaster fired, hitting him in the chest and scattering the rest of the men.

She activated the repulsorlifts and took off, heading for deep space. She'd just taken a deep breath to relax when the ship shook as a tractor beam grabbed it.

* * *

"Let me guess," Drido said. "Imperials?"

"Got it in one," Isabella said. "Star Destroyer _Resolution_."

"What happened?"

"I explained that my friend and I had been shanghaied by Validar, and he was trying to steal our ship. He'd planted those crates in the back, and I had no idea what was in them."

"Did they buy it?"

"Not at first, but then the Stormtroopers who'd captured his compound sent up the recordings of what happened in the docking bay. Turns out I'd have been better off claiming them, they were worth millions of credits."

Drido laughed his buzzing laugh. "Of course. His emergency stash."

"The _Resolution_'s captain was suspicious, but my ID matched ownership of the vessel and I wasn't trying to sneak anything past them, so he let me go."

"Minus the stash."

"Minus the stash." Isabella said. She paused, and pulled a holocube out of her poncho. "She left this for you."

He took it from her and turned it in his hand before tossing it in the air and catching it. "I suppose you had to go through her things?"

Isabella nodded.

* * *

The ship safely in hyperspace, Isabella took a moment to breathe. She'd been running on adrenaline for almost an entire day by now. Everything that had happened seemed to catch up with her at once, and she hugged her knees and hyperventilated as she realized. Tears streamed down her cheeks for a moment before she shook her head, unbuckled, and stood up. Wiping her face dry, she went to investigate her situation.

First: while the Imperials had claimed Validar's cargo and suitcase, she'd successfully hidden the 20,000 credits and the data tapes behind a hidden panel. So, at least she could eat and refuel the ship while she figured out how to take control of Mada's accounts.

The _Chihuahua_ only had three bunkrooms, two triple bunks and one single bunk that Mada had claimed. Isabella opened the door to Mada's room. She'd only been in there a couple times before, but now it was a shambles. The Imperials had gone over it, searching for contraband. The locker had been emptied, and a pile of Mada's clothes sat in the middle of the floor. A small desk to one side held Mada's paperwork and ship's logs. A holocube sat on top of the logbook. Isabella tapped it, and it popped up a picture of Drido, then rotated to a picture of...Isabella, sitting on the _Chihuahua_'s couch. Isabella tapped it again to turn it off, then wiped her eyes.

She went to Mada's locker, its door hanging open. Several code cards and two holocubes sat on the shelf. She looked at the holocubes; one was marked 'Isabella' and the other marked 'Drido'.

Isabella took the cube with her name on it and activated it. An image of Mada's head appeared and began to speak.

"Isabella: if you're watching this, one of two things has happened. Either you're spying in my locker, in which case you and I are going to have _words_, or I'm gone and you're picking up the pieces. I'm going to assume it's the second one.

"The ship's already in your name; she's yours. The code cards have information for my accounts, and the details you'll need to take them over. They're locked to your thumbprint.

"I hope you got back at whoever killed me. I just want you to know...I'm proud of you, kid. You've done well, and I think you'll make one incredible pilot. Solo's getting all the attention right now, but you're at least as good as he is and you haven't even hit puberty yet. Give it ten years, and you'll kick him from one side of the galaxy to the other.

"May the Force be with you. The other cube's for Drido; go give it to him when you get a chance."

The cube turned itself off, and Isabella wiped her cheeks dry one last time. She promised herself she'd never have to do that again.

* * *

"Thank you for telling me," Drido said as he spun the holocube in his nimble fingers. "I know it's rough right now, but I want you to know that you're always welcome here, okay? If you just need a break from running around the galaxy."

"Thanks," Isabella said. "But I think, right now, I just need to get some distance between me and everything else. Might go try the Kessel Run. I've done the math, and I think I can do it in 11 parsecs when the planets are aligned just right."


	5. 3 BBY and 1 BBY - The Firestar Girls

**3 BBY; Isabella is 10**

They were finalizing the manifest for the trip to Galidraan when the girl came up to Isabella.

"Hi, can you help us?" she asked. Isabella turned to look; she was short, with glasses and auburn hair, wearing a Firestar Girls uniform.

"Depends what you need and how much you can pay," Isabella said automatically.

"We got sent here to bring back a load of cupcakes for Galidraan, but the ship we were supposed to take back got impounded. Apparently he was using us for cover for smuggling. Do you have room for a 3-cubic-meter cargo pod and six passengers?"

"Nope. We can probably fit the cargo pod, but we've only got room for five passengers," Isabella said.

"Wait," Mada said. "I think we can make it work."

Isabella turned and glared at Mada.

"Oh, hush. It'll be a little uncomfortable for you, but it's not that long a trip," Mada said. "We're going that way anyway, so...call it five hundred credits."

The girl sighed with relief. "Thank you _so_ much. I'll go tell the troop!" She turned and ran out of the docking bay, pulling out a comlink as she went.

"What do you mean, uncomfortable for me?" Isabella asked warily.

"We'll get you a bedroll for the night, or there's hooks to hang a hammock in the main cargo bay."

"Wait, you're going to let them have _my_ bunk?"

"Paying customers get priority, kid."

"So let them have yours."

"Rank hath its privileges. My ship, my bunk. Someday, when the ship is yours, you can do what you want."

"This deal is getting worse all the time," Isabella muttered.

* * *

The auburn-haired girl's name was Gretchen, Isabella learned. The other two girls sharing her bunk room for the night were Adyson and Ginger. Holly, Milly, and Katie were in the other room. Isabella curled on the floor in her bedroll, listening to the girls talk. And talk. And talk.

_I should have taken the hammock_, Isabella thought. She closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep. Eventually she must have drifted off, because when she awoke, the Firestar Girls were all asleep. She'd had odd dreams - something about carrying a message to a Rebel agent, and sneaking it past Imperial investigators. Which was weird - she knew Mada had slight Rebel sympathies, but not enough to stick her neck out for them.

They were inbound to Galidraan when an Imperial Customs Corvette ordered them to hold for customs inspection. Isabella shrugged and cut the engines, letting the inspection cutter approach; she'd learned by now that if they weren't hiding anything, they were far better off letting the Imperials look over the ship.

The Firestar Girls twittered at each other, nervously. Isabella shook her head. She'd been that new at space travel a couple years ago, but now, it was just business. Mada chuckled and said quietly, "They'll learn."

The cutter docked to the _Sunchaser_, and an Imperial officer came on board, her short blonde hair kept tight under the grey Naval cap. Two Stormtroopers followed, flanking her with blaster rifles at the ready. Mada handed over the tablet with the manifest, which the officer inspected judiciously.

"Firestar Girl Cupcakes?" the officer said, reading the manifest. "Well, I know which cargo pod _I_ want to inspect."

"Right this way," Mada said, leading her into the cargo hold. "That pod there, with the Firestar Girls sitting on it." The girls looked up warily.

"Excellent. I must inspect the contents," the officer said. The girls reluctantly stood up, and Gretchen unlocked the pod. It sighed open, revealing several dozen cases of Firestar Girls cupcakes.

The officer looked at the tablet. "The manifest says you have a case of the Grasshopper cupcakes. Show them to me."

Ginger glanced at Gretchen, then started digging in the cargo pod. "Are you sure?" Gretchen asked. "It's not a very popular flavor. It's probably not a great name, it's mint and chocolate. We only have one case, for this one customer who _really_ likes them."

Ginger pulled out the case, four log-shaped boxes packed together. "Excellent," the officer said. "I shall take them."

"But what about our customer?" Gretchen asked nervously.

"Imperial Customs Regulation 714.4(b) allows me to claim a reasonable amount of any cargo for inspection. I wish to personally inspect these cupcakes. Your customer will have to wait for the next shipment." She beckoned one of the Stormtroopers forward; he holstered his blaster and took the case from Ginger's nerveless fingers.

The officer handed the manifest tablet back to Mada, then led the Stormtroopers off of the _Chihuahua_. The airlock sealed behind them. Isabella was returning to the cockpit when she heard one of the Firestar Girls crying.

"I'm sorry," Mada was saying, resting her hand on Milly's shoulder. "Nothing we could do. We'll have to tell your customer that the Imperials confiscated their cupcakes."

"That's not the problem," Gretchen said. "There's a secret message in that case. We used a flavor nobody orders as cover."

Mada looked over at Gretchen flatly. "Secret message. Let me guess. You're working for the Rebels?"

Gretchen paused, then nodded.

"They must be desperate, sending young girls like you on this mission."

"They figured we'd be able to sneak through undetected."

"So much for that idea. Okay, Isabella, take us down to the spaceport while I figure out what we can do about it. If the inspector finds that message, she'll grab everyone aboard for interrogation."

Isabella ran to the cockpit, requesting docking clearance at Galinex Downport.

* * *

Galinex sat on a plateau in the midst of a giant snow-covered forest. Isabella landed the ship in Docking Bay 33, then went out to supervise the umbilical connection. Once that was done, she ran back up the ramp, rubbing her arms to warm them.

"Got it," Mada said, poking at a tablet while the Firestar Girls looked over her shoulder. "Lieutenant T'Rani Malric. She just finished her shift and should be back at the local garrison."

"So what do we do?" Adyson asked.

"Sneak in, grab the message, and get out," Gretchen said. "Are we Firestar Girls, or mice?"

"So how are you going to get into the most heavily guarded building in the city?" Isabella asked, leaning against the bulkhead and cleaning her nails.

"We're Firestar Girls. We come bearing cupcakes," Ginger said with a smirk. "Everybody lets us in."

"What, all of you together?" Mada said.

"We'll have to split up for verisimilitude," Gretchen said. "Firestar Girls always do deliveries in pairs."

"For veri-what?" Isabella asked.

"To make it look real," Gretchen said, rolling her eyes. "Katie and Holly, you handle deliveries to the east side. Milly and Ginger, you take north side. Adyson and I will take central, including the garrison headquarters. Our contact is in that batch as well, so we'll bring her the message afterwards."

Adyson was looking over the list of deliveries. "Folks in the garrison ordered five boxes."

"See? Easy," Gretchen said.

They pulled three grav-wagons out of the pod and loaded the cupcakes onto them. Katie and Holly headed out first, pulling a wagon behind them, then Milly and Ginger followed with the second wagon.

"Okay, Adyson, let's go," Gretchen said, and they pulled the wagon down the boarding ramp. Isabella shook her head as she watched them go.

"Wait, it's going too fast!" Adyson said, and then screamed as they heard a _'crunch'_. Isabella ran to the ramp, Mada just a step behind her.

Adyson lay on the ground, holding her leg, as Gretchen moved the wagon off of her. "I think it's broken," Gretchen said, kneeling next to her.

"Bring her up, I've got a electrocast in the first aid kit," Mada said. Isabella and Gretchen helped carry Adyson up the ramp and into the ship.

"We need to get going," Gretchen said. "If we don't get that message back soon, the agent will be compromised. And you know how much this agent means to the Sen...to the troop leader."

Adyson looked up at her, pale. "Sorry, Chief. I don't think I can go along."

"But Firestar Girls never go solo to distribute cupcakes. Where am I going to find another Firestar Girl to go along with me?"

Three heads swiveled to look at Isabella.

"Don't even think about it," she said.

* * *

"I hate this uniform," Isabella said, plucking at her sash.

"It's just for long enough to get the message. We get into the garrison, get the message, and get out," Gretchen said. "Easy."

"Yeah, yeah," Isabella said. The garrison building was tall and wide, with a large gated vehicle pool next to it.

Isabella pulled the wagon up to the main gate of the garrison. The guards looked up and eagerly opened the gate for them. "Hey, got any extras?" one of the guards asked.

"Check with us on the way out?" Gretchen said with a smile. "We might."

The found a directory and dropped off two deliveries that were on the way to Lieutenant Malric's office. While the Stormtroopers didn't smile, as far as they could tell, everyone else seemed pleased to see them, and they had several other offers for any spare cupcakes they might have.

The turbolift carried them to the third floor. Lieutenant Malric's office was open and unoccupied when they got there. They slipped inside, finding the opened case of cupcakes on the desk. Gretchen shifted boxes to find the one with the message inside, popping it open, as Isabella kept watch.

"Uh oh," Gretchen said. Isabella looked over at her, confused, and walked over to the desk.

"It's gone. The message is gone. I'm going to have to go tell our contact that the message was intercepted," Gretchen said, a lump in her throat.

"And who would that contact be?" a harsh voice said from the door. "Someone looking for this?" Lieutenant Malric leaned up against the door jamb, holding a code card.

"Give that back!" Gretchen said.

"You Rebel scum," Malric sneered. "How pathetic that they're using little girls to do their dirty work. You'll tell us who your contact is." She reached for her blaster.

Gretchen threw a box of cupcakes at her, causing Malric to duck as Isabella leapt at her. She grabbed the code card with one hand as she knocked the blaster aside with the other. It fired, hitting the wall, and alarms started to sound.

Gretchen grabbed the blaster and tried to wrest it away from her as Isabella kicked the lieutenant's knees out from under her. "Augh!" she shouted as she fell, hitting her head on the desk and knocking herself unconscious.

"Run!" Isabella said, heading out into the hallway. Heads were poking out of offices all down the hall, and two Stormtroopers at the entrance door were raising their blaster rifles. Gretchen fired at them, causing them to duck.

"This way!" Gretchen led her away from the Stormtroopers. Blaster bolts hit the wall behind them as they turned a corner. More heads were looking out of offices, and one officer reached out to grab them. Isabella ducked under the arm and punched him in the face as they passed.

More Stormtroopers appeared ahead of them. Gretchen spotted a door marked 'EXIT' and crashed through it, finding a staircase.

"Down," Isabella said. "If we go up, we're trapped." She started running down the stairs.

Gretchen pulled out her comlink and said, "Code Brown! Code Brown!" into it as she followed.

"What's Code Brown mean?" Isabella asked, charging downwards.

"The bantha droppings have hit the air circulator," Gretchen said.

The stairs ended in another door. They popped it open, hearing the sound of boots tromping down from above, and jumped through.

They'd come out on the edge of the vehicle pool. The space in front of them was filled with vehicles: scout bikes and troop transports, landspeeders and airspeeders. Troopers and Imperial soldiers were looking around, fingering their weapons and listening to the PA system. "...two young female humans wearing Firestar Girl uniforms, wanted for questioning. They are believed to be Rebel agents. Shoot to stun and bring them in for questioning. Repeat: be on the lookout for two young..."

One of the Stormtroopers, halfway across the fenced-in area, spotted them and pointed. Isabella ran for the nearest vehicle, a scout speeder bike, and jumped on. Gretchen climbed on behind her as the first stunning shots missed them widely.

"Can you fly this thing?" Gretchen asked.

"Let's find out," Isabella said, shoving the throttle forward.

The bike shot forward, through some airspeeders, as blue stun blasts filled the air behind it. Isabella quickly got the knack of steering and took them toward the exit gate, smashing it open with the bike's blaster.

"They're following," Gretchen said. Isabella glanced back and saw three more speeder bikes chasing after them, a scout trooper on each of them.

"We'll lose them," Isabella said, cranking the speeder bike around down a narrow alley. Two bikes made the turn after them; the third overshot and knocked its control vanes off, spinning along as the pilot jumped to safety.

"I'm going to find a spot to drop you off," Isabella said over the wind.

She turned several corners quickly, gaining distance from their pursuers in a maze of alleyways. On a side street, she stopped quickly near a large trash container. "Here, take the code card," she said, handing it to Gretchen. "Go deliver it. Meet up back at the ship. Hurry." She cranked the bike to full speed again as Gretchen hid behind the trash container. The two pursuing bikes appeared just as she rounded another corner, leading them away from Gretchen.

_Now to get them away from here_, Isabella thought. She pulled up above the alleyway to see her way around, then ducked back down as a blast from an Imperial hovertank, waiting above the building tops a few miles away, narrowly missed her. She was nearing the edge of the city, so she sped along, dodging through narrow passageways.

Then, suddenly, she broke out past the buildings and was in an open space. Ahead of her, trees covered the plateau. She shot through a gap in the trees, weaving through them at full throttle. The two bikes behind her continued to follow, occasionally shooting vaguely in her direction as they had an opening.

Isabella started trying to curve back toward the city, but the bikes following her moved to block her whenever she did. She was trying to figure out what to do about this when she burst into a large clearing.

A hovertank sat on the far edge of the clearing, a giant blocking her path. It fired, hitting the ground in front of her and throwing her bike into the air. She cut her throttle as she wrestled the controls, spinning the bike around, only to see another tank drop into place behind her, its cannon trained on her.

She raised her hands above her head and let the bike settle toward the ground. The hovertanks' weapons watched her every move.

A blast from above detonated one tank, and then another finished off its twin. From above, the _Sunchaser_ dropped down on its repulsorlifts, hovering just above the trees with the cargo ramp open. Gretchen stood in the back, a safety tether keeping her from falling out. "Come on!" she shouted.

Isabella fired up the bike and flew up into the _Sunchaser_. The ramp closed behind her as the ship headed toward deep space.

Isabella glared at Gretchen as she ran toward the cockpit. Mada sat in the pilot's chair, and an unfamiliar white-haired young woman sat in the seat to her right.

"Sorry I can't let you take over," Mada said, "but I'm a little busy."

"I got it. Thanks for coming for me," Isabella said, bringing up the navicomputer.

"Couldn't leave you behind," Mada said. "I'd be left with all that junk in your locker."

"Where are we going?" Isabella said as she prepared the navicomputer.

"Alderaan," the white-haired woman said in a throaty voice as she watched the _Sunchaser_'s sensors. "TIE fighters inbound, 190 mark 10."

Isabella glanced at Mada for confirmation, but she was busy, so Isabella punched in the coordinates. "Hyperspace in...forty seconds," she said.

Mada ran the ship away from the inbound fighters, keeping her distance as best she could. "They're gaining on us, but not fast enough," Isabella said.

A light flashed on Isabella's console. "Hyperspace ready when you are."

Mada reached up and pulled back the hyperspace lever, shooting the _Sunchaser_ to superluminal speeds.

The three in the cockpit exhaled as one. "Thanks for the help," the white-haired woman said. "You saved my life down there."

"I think you just returned the favor," Isabella said. "Who are you?"

"Call me Targeter," the woman said. "The message you helped deliver was that I had been compromised. The Imperials showed up to detain me just as we were leaving. If I hadn't been expecting them, they'd have had me for sure."

"So what's at Alderaan?" Mada asked.

"I have...friends there," Targeter said.

"Okay. My ship is compromised now, too, so I hope your friends there can get me some new documents."

"I'm sure that can be arranged."

"Where's she going to sleep?" Isabella asked.

"I figured I'd give her the hammock in the cargo bay," Mada said.

"Lovely," Isabella muttered. "I'm stuck with the chatterboxes."

* * *

Alderaan was a nice enough place, Isabella thought, but if you've seen one planet, you've seen them all. They were waiting for Targeter's "friends" to arrange for updated papers for the _Sunchaser_. It had been two days so far, and Isabella was wondering if it would ever happen.

The Firestar Girls had awarded her an honorary membership before they'd left with Targeter, including a sash with patches for piloting and daring rescues.

Finally, Mada's comlink bleeped with a message. "We're to report to...the palace? That seems odd," she said.

"Both of us?" Isabella asked.

"Both of us. Don't think you can get out of this."

"It smells like a trap to me," Isabella said.

"Everything smells like a trap to you."

"One of these days, I'll be right, and then you'll see."

* * *

Targeter was waiting for them in an opulent antechamber inside the palace. Rich draperies covered the walls, and a deep, soft carpet muffled the noise of their feet as they walked over.

"Right in through here," Targeter said, leading them through a small door that slid aside at her approach.

Inside, a handsome dark-haired, tan-skinned man sat at a large desk. The room was small and intimate, with three elegant chairs in front of the desk. The Firestar Girls sat on couches along the walls, underneath the silent vidscreens that displayed the latest news from across the galaxy.

"Welcome," the man said. "I've heard much about you, Arma'daran'rame."

"Thank you, sir, but I've given up that name, and just go by Mada now. I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage," Mada said.

The man laughed. "My apologies, Mada. Please, be seated." He gestured toward the chairs on the near side of his desk as Targeter took one. "I am Senator Bail Organa, and Targeter's...sponsor, shall we say?"

"He's also the sponsor for our Firestar Girls troop," Gretchen said from her seat on the couch. Isabella took a chair near Mada's.

"That I am. You did well, girls," Organa said. Gretchen beamed.

"Why are you using children as messengers?" Isabella asked.

"It's not my ideal, believe me. But desperate times call for desperate measures. We've had excellent luck in the past with their ability to move around Imperial bases unhindered, but I'm afraid that has now come to an end. Now that the Imperials might suspect, it would be far too dangerous." He frowned, then shook his head as if casting away bad memories. "No matter. We'll adapt as always."

"So, Targeter said you could help us get new papers for the _Sunchaser_?" Mada asked.

"Yes, that can be arranged. After all, it's our fault you need them in the first place. My majordomo will handle that." He paused as if embarrassed. "In addition for my wish to express my gratitude, I have a...proposal for you."

"I'm listening," Mada said.

"I occasionally need help delivering people and packages discreetly. Would you be willing to help?"

"If the price is right, I'll certainly consider it. But it's just business. I'm not joining your little revolution here."

"That's reasonable. My majordomo will help you get your paperwork sorted out. I'll be in touch if I have a job for you."

"Sounds like a deal," Mada said.

* * *

**1 BBY; Isabella is 12 (after Just Business)**

Isabella had dropped off her cargo on Commenor and was looking around for another set of cargo when the agent found her.

She recognized him from previous encounters; he carried messages for Bail Organa. "Another job for you," he said. "Where's Mada?"

"Mada's gone," Isabella said. "I'm what you've got."

He paused for a long moment, then nodded. "Okay. Should be simple, but all our usual couriers are being watched. Need you to go to Kuat, pick up a package, and carry it to Alderaan. Standard rates."

Isabella nodded. "Give me the details."

* * *

The trip to Alderaan was surprisingly uneventful. She arrived at Aldera spaceport, sending the coded notification message she'd been given.

A courier, dressed in the livery of the Alderaanian Royal Family, came out to meet her ship. Isabella grabbed the data tapes from Validar as well as the package on her way out to meet her.

"Greetings, Isabella of the house Garcia-Shapiro. My Royal Master thanks you for your delivery, and bade me relay this message."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, I haven't got all day." Isabella set the package down and gestured toward it.

The courier rolled her eyes, and recited from memory: "I have looked into what happened to your father, and it is my sad duty to report that Isaac Shapiro was killed in action defending an evacuation transport against an Imperial attack. His service did honor to the Alliance, and he was awarded the Corellian Cross posthumously. I present the award to you, his next of kin." The courier handed her a small box.

Isabella took the box and opened it cautiously. It held a silvery cross with a golden bird on it. She closed it again and put it in a pocket. "Thanks," she said. "Just what I needed. Anyway, here's your package." She gestured towards it.

"My Royal Master conveys this payment for your efforts," the courier said, handing over a small wallet. Isabella flipped through it, finding the agreed-upon sum.

"Hey, I got something else for you," Isabella said. The courier raised an eyebrow. "Validar was double-dealing both sides - here's the tapes with the data. Rebel intelligence might find them useful." Isabella set the data tapes on top of the package.

The courier's eyes lit up. "This is a generous gift. We thank you."

"Yeah, don't spread it around, everyone will want one."

* * *

**There's some timeline issues in the first chunk with the term 'Rebels', as the Rebel Alliance doesn't officially form until 2 BBY. However, I'm assuming the Imperials use the term for any resistance group, such as the Alderaanian Resistance that Bail Organa led.**

**(Okay, also some timeline issues with Bail letting his adopted daughter Winter - code name Targeter - loose like that, but she was doing undercover work by the next year, so...sure, let's go with it.)**


	6. 0 ABY - Glimpses from a Celebration

**0 ABY - Glimpses From A Celebration**

Isabella sat down to rest after dancing with Phineas. She was trying to figure out why she'd felt the need to kiss him suddenly. He was nice, and awfully cute, but...

_He trusted me_, she thought.

And he was cute. She was thirteen now. Cute was important.

He returned, bearing two juice boxes and handing her one. "Thanks," she said with a smile.

"So, uh...what are you planning next?" he asked.

She shrugged. She really hadn't decided yet.

"Because...well...my brother and I need a ride back to Tatooine. Sister too, come to think of it. Our parents thought we were just going into town. They'll be worried sick." He looked embarrassed - it was adorable.

She couldn't resist tweaking him a bit, though. "Well, how much are you paying?"

"I...uh...um..."

"Nah, it's okay. It's on my way to my next stop."

"Where's that?"

"I don't know yet."

He looked confused, so she leaned over and kissed him again. It didn't make him any less confused, but she didn't expect it to.

* * *

Phineas had gone to chat with some of the pilots, so she went to get another juice box. On the way back, she saw Han and Chewbacca in a corner with a couple of the Rebel soldiers, sharing glasses of...something green and translucent.

"Hey, Isabella," Han called. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Wanted to thank you," he said, a very slight slur to his words. "For setting me straight on what I needed to do."

She paused, thought a moment, and nodded. "Thanks. For doing the same for me."

He raised his glass to her, and she lifted her juice box in return.

* * *

The Firestar Girls were gathered together in a group, talking about the rest of the Rebels. Isabella saw Gretchen point over in the direction of the group that Phineas was in.

"The red-haired kid's kind of cute," she said.

Isabella stepped up behind her, saying in a deep voice, "Don't. Even. _Think_ about it. He's taken."

"But..." Gretchen began.

"Back. Off."

Gretchen nodded, then turned to her with a frightened smile. "I have something for you, actually. You've earned more patches. Here's another Daring Rescue patch, and here's a Saving The Rebellion patch. And..." She glanced over at Phineas, then pulled a patch off her own sash and handed it to Isabella. "You had probably better take this 'I Just Saw A Cute Boy' patch, I think."

* * *

Isabella was returning back toward Phineas when she saw a familiar-looking Chihuahua wearing a fedora while chatting with a gold Threepio droid.

"Pinky?" Isabella asked, confused.

The Chihuahua turned to her, and its eyes went wide. It rushed over to hug her.

"Pinky?" Isabella asked again. "But...you _died_."

The Threepio droid came over and said, "May I offer my translation services? I am fluent in over six million forms of communication."

Isabella nodded. Pinky let go of her and whined at the droid.

"Apparently, the Stormtrooper who shot at him missed. He returned to the docking bay after they had left, but you and the ship had departed."

"But I heard one say 'Nice shooting,'" Isabella said.

Pinky growled something, and the Threepio unit said, "Apparently sarcasm is not carried well through a Stormtrooper's vocoder."

"I'm sorry, Pinky. I didn't mean to leave you behind."

Threepio translated the droid's answer. "I understand. I'm sorry I drew the stormtroopers to you. I thought you were gone as well."

"So what have you been doing?" Isabella asked.

"A platypus working for intelligence for the Corellian Resistance picked me up, and I've been working as a field agent. When the Alliance formed, my entire group moved over into Alliance Intelligence," Threepio translated. "So what have you been doing?"

"I've got a ship, the _Centennial Chihuahua_. I...kinda named it for you."

The little dog danced happily at the thought. "Thank you," Threepio translated. "That means a lot to me."

"Hey, where are you off to next?" Isabella asked.

"Tatooine. Mr. Skywalker has asked me to investigate something for him there."

"That's my next stop. Want a ride?"

The chihuahua jumped up to hug her by way of answer.

* * *

Isabella wandered back into the main cabin after taking the _Chihuahua_ into hyperspace.

"So what's our new dad like?" Candace was asking. She sat back on the couch, idly scritching Pinky between the ears. The little dog was sprawled on her lap enjoying it as his fedora rested on the table.

"Oh, he's really nice," Phineas said, sitting across from her. "Mom really loves him."

"And he loves her," Ferb added quietly from where he sat cross-legged on the floor.

"That's good," she said. "I missed so much of you growing up, and it was all...such a waste."

"Well, we're together now!" Phineas said. "I just hope Mom and Dad aren't mad at us for not telling them we were leaving."

"Wait, you ran away from home?" Candace asked. "You are _so_ busted."

Phineas rubbed the back of his neck; Isabella chuckled to herself at how cute he looked. "Yeah, we didn't really run away, we just...had to go bring that disc back, and ended up on the Death Star, and then Yavin IV."

"They did say we should go explore the galaxy," Ferb said.

"Yeah, but I kinda think they wanted us to let them know first."

The conversation hit a lull, so Isabella said, "Hey, farmboy. C'mere for a minute."

Phineas got up and trotted toward her, a dopey grin on his face. "What's up, Isabella?"

She pulled him into the maintenance closet, planting another kiss on him. And then another, because why not?

"Oh," he said dreamily, his arms around her. He leaned in and kissed her back, which was a pleasant novelty that she could rapidly get used to. "So how long are you going to be on Tatooine?" he asked.

"I...a couple days, I think. Depends on Pinky."

"Maybe you can come visit for dinner. Meet my parents."

"I dunno about getting that serious. That...seems a bit rushed to me," she said.

"And pulling me into the maintenance closet to make out isn't?"

She kissed him again to shut him up.

It worked.

* * *

**Okay. I'm marking this one as complete for now. I do have more plans for this timeline, but they're further in the future and get decidedly shippier. (It could be reasonably argued that this was written as backstory for the shipping.) They'll come out in another story, tentatively titled "The Padawan and the Smuggler".**

**It's going to take me a couple weeks to get that started, though - working my butt off at work these days.**

**As always, I thank you for your time and attention. They're a gift that I truly appreciate.**


End file.
